Chignecto-Central Regional School Board passes 2016-2017 budget of $206 million

Media Release:

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The Chignecto-Central Regional School Board (CCRSB) approved its 2016-2017 budget, this evening, during its Regular Public Board Meeting at Pictou Academy.

“For the first time in many years this budget has left us in a positive position, with the ability to hire and sharpen our focus on improving classroom instruction,” said Trudy Thompson, CCRSB Board Chair. “The additional funds realized this fiscal year have been reinvested in our structures, supports and staff to fuel student success.”

The $2.2 million in additional funds comes as a result of a funding profile increase of $1.6 million from the Province, and $642,000 in cost savings from the reduction of 13 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) teaching positions due to declining enrolment.

To support teacher excellence, effective classroom instruction and to help more students realize success, Professional Learning Community time is being embedded for all classroom teachers in grades Primary to 6. This embedded time will allow our elementary teachers to come together, in a consistent and deliberate manner, to review student work, identify areas of concern, share best practices and learn from one another in order to respond to student needs in the most timely and effective ways.

The new Grade Primary to 6 structure is being supported through the hiring of teachers, and the reorganization of CCRSB’s Educational Services Department into two: Programs and Services, and System Development. The governing board has also invested in two culturally responsive mentors and three special education specialists who will work directly with teachers in schools on a daily basis to improve programming and support improved teacher practices.

CCRSB’s governing board has added 43.0 FTE NSTU positions, in part to support the embedded Professional Learning Community time and to support smaller class sizes at elementary.

CCRSB has a total revenue budget of $206.3 million for the 2016-2017 school year, with $9.6 million in provincial revenue for specific initiatives, including:

Continuation of the Grade Primary-2 class cap of 20 students.

Class Cap of 25 students for grades 3 to 6.

Continuation of Student Support grants for all schools.

Increase in Reading Recovery teachers.

Mathematics and Early Literacy support.

“This budget has allowed us to re-invest in our schools and buildings,” said Gordon Anderson, CCRSB Vice-Chair. “Over $600,000 is being added to major maintenance for 2016-2017. While we acknowledge that this is still not enough to ensure that proper preventative maintenance occurs for the long-term, we are grateful for the opportunity to re-invest any dollars into our infrastructure.”

CCRSB’s governing board continues to explore how they can best provide adequate supports, programs and resources for students with special needs.

Declining enrolment also remains a reality for all school boards across Nova Scotia. For CCRSB, a decline in the funded enrolment of 325 students for the 2016-2017 school year has led to a reduction of 13 FTE NSTU positions.

The Chignecto-Central Regional School Board is comprised of 17 board members and 2,700 staff all striving to develop independent, lifelong learners in a student-centered environment, with high expectations for all. CCRSB serves almost 20,000 students from Primary to Grade 12, throughout the counties of Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou, and the Municipality of East Hants.